Yet he himself does just that. Mr Carmichael describes Thunberg’s school strike for the climate by saying “the pigtailed teenager bunked off from classes”.

Bill Carmichael can’t have it both ways. If he wants to scrutinise Greta Thunberg’s speeches as he would those of an adult, he must recognise her strikes as a mature act of protest, rather than implying that her actions are childish and irresponsible.

From: Max Nottingham, St Faith’s Street, Lincoln.

SIR David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg would make a wonderful climate change team. A nice mixture of age and experience, plus a gifted, charismatic teenager. As someone who is no spring chicken, I like the way Greta tells us off. We deserve it.

From: James Legge, Head of Politics, Countryside Alliance.

THE Government says it wants a high level of protection for the environment; to be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it; and that the Office of Environmental Protection should be a “world leading” watchdog. If so, then the Government needs to amend the Environment Bill accordingly (Ed Miliband, The Yorkshire Post, May 2). The Government also needs to ensure that any additional clauses are subject to scrutiny. This legislation is too important to be rushed and the consequences of getting it wrong would have serious consequences for both the environment and rural communities.

CLIMATE change is the greatest threat currently facing the countryside. By prioritising policies and funding that will see better land use, dramatically reduce emissions from agriculture, increase the planting of hedgerows and trees, and restore our peatlands, we can drive carbon back into the ground.

Our transition to renewable energy must intensify and a deadline set for the phasing out of fossil fuels.